Hammock.



J. J. MAXWELL.

zmmoox. APPLIOATIOI FILED SEPT. 10, 1808- 909, v Patented Jan. 5,1909.)

121mm LT. MAXWELL- J. J. MAXWELL. HAMMQGK. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1908.

909,102. Patented Jan. 5, 1909;

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W/ NE SSE S mvsuron m *Junu LT. MAXWELL f mfimvers g No; 909,102.

JOHN J. MAXWELL, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

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Specification 0t Lett'eraPatent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Application flied September 10, 1908. Serial No. 452,888.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. MAXWELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have made certainnew and useful Improvements .in Hammocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hammock frames and it consists in the 00111;- binations, constructions and arrangements of parts herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to rovide a frame for a hammock which will cop the hammock'spread apart in the most convenient position for the user and at the same time will permit the hammock to adjust itself automatically to persons of different wei hts who occupy the hammock without any danger of breaking or straining of the frame structure.

A further object of my invention is to provide a frame and covering for a hammock which will permit the occupant of the hammock to swing backward and forward without straining or otherwise injuring the frame or its coverin A further o bject of my invention consists in the provision of a colla )sible frame which may be taken down an packed away in slnall compass for transportation, thus rendering the device of a portable nature.

Other objects and advantages will up ear in the following specification and Wll be more particularly pointed out in the annexed claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the hammock embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, lookin in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3 is a p an view showing a hammock and the means for suspending it; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a ortion of the hammock and frame alon the ine 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarge detail sectional view of the sliding bolt and Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the central connection of the side frame members.

Referring now to Fig. 1, I have shown therein a supporting frame consisting of the base members 1, the inclined uprights 2 and 3 at either end thereof, the latter being braced by the corner braces 2 and 3 respectively. Between the uprights 2 and 3 and their corresponding uprights on the opposite sides, are the cross members 4. The

'grooved side iecesfi, w

members for the hammock and are provid e with a series of hooks 5 arranged therealong to provide means for shifting the position the hammock from one side. to the other.

The hammock frame roper consists of the iiich are preferably in two sections aving their ends off-set in the manner shown in Fig. 6, and secured by'bolts thus forming one continuous piece, together with the end pieces 7. v 'The side pieces 6 and the end pieces 7 are preferabl made of light steel or iron strips of L shape cross sec.- tion as clearly shown in the figures. These strips are secured to each other by means of small bolts.

The hammock itself which may beef ordinarycoarse fiber, canvas, wire or any other suitable material is preferably of a reetangular shape and of a size to just fit inside of the "frame formed by the pieces 6 and 7.

The hammock is attached at each of its four corners to sliding bolts denoted in general by 8. The latter consists of two separate parts as shown in Fig. 5.

One of these parts Sis provided with an eye on one end and hasa threaded bore in the other endt-f The' other is provided with a similar eye andrhas an externally threaded shank arranged to be screwed into the bore of the first mentioned part. The bolts 8 are arranged to pass through holes 9 in the end members 7, and the upri hts 10. A number of these holes 9 is provided in order to permit the adjustment of the hammock at various hei hts. The holes 9 are reamed out on either si e as clearly shown in Fig. 5 for a purpose hereinafter set forth. N

Referrin again to Fig. 1, it will be seen that upri ht members 10 on the opposite sides of t 1e hammock frame are connected by the cross pieces 11 at their tops. A short upright supporting member 12 is arranged on each one of the cross members 11 to pro vide a sh ht pitch for the protecting cover- 13. he latter may be canvas-or any 0t ier water-proof or durable material and maybe either located in the top of the frame or may extend all around the sides thereof. A convenient arrangement for taking the canvas covering off and for putting it on is to provide buttons similar to those used on carriage tops for attaching the various portlons of the covering. The hammock as thus described is suspended from the end supmembers in'Fig. 1.

what above the side members 6. The

ports 4 by means of the ropes or wires 14 which are attached at the lower end to the eye in the part 8 of the bolt 8.

Having thus described the various parts j of the device the operation thereof can be i easily understood. It will be seen that I l have provided a light rectangular frame the end pieces of which constitute a spreader and permit the sus ension of the hammock by means of the sliding bolts 8. In using the hammock, the parts 8 and 8 are screwed together until the hammock proper is some- Weight of the occupant of the hammock will cause the latter to assume practically the same position as that shown by the side In doing this, the tension will cause the bolts 8 to slide through the openings and automatically adjust themselves according to the weight of the occupant. In order to permit a ready adjustment I ream out each side of the holes 9 so that the bolts'may take an inclined position with respect to the end members. There is sufiicient resiliency in the frame to cause it to give slightly but it will not be permanently sprung out of its normal position because the weight of the occupant does not come upon it but rather is borne by the uprights 3 through the ropes 14. Since the covering} support is connected directly to the lower rectangular frameconstituting the spreading member there is very little strain such as would be present if the sides of the hammock I were attached directly to the frame itself and i consequently the motion of the hammock I will cause very little strain and no injury to j the covering frame itself.

One objection to the use of an ordinary hammock is that unless the supports to which thefhammock is attached are at a suitable distance apart the hammock will, have too great a curve when it is occupied, thereby bringing the head and feet on an i incline instead of in a horizontal position. It will be seen that my device obviates this j difficulty since the frame provides a spreader and at the same time permits the hammock to adjust itself to the Weight of the occupant E while being spread to its utmost limit. 7

My device may be used to advantage on camping or outing trips. It may be taken apart by the removal of the bolts which connect the various parts of the framework and l can be transported in small bulk. I con-l template the use of screens which may extend all around the upright framework and underneath therectangular framework constitut j ing the spreader. It is obvious that other of light metallic mem general idea may be made, but I consider as my own and desire to claim all such modifications as clearly fall Within the spirit andscope of the invention.

While Ihave shown .the hammock as supported by the inclined uprights constitutin part of the framework, it will be understoo that the hammock may be suspended from any suitable supports and that the main invention lies in t 1e provision of the adjustable spreading frame, rather than in the supports t emselves, and that the invention is designed to be used with stationary supports, such as the posts of a porch, or trees, or any other suitable suspending means.

In order to provide for the sus ension of a hammock of the ordinary form f may make use of a bar which is provided with shouldered ends adapted to enter the o enings in the rings 8 and which may ave on their threaded ends nuts for preventing the dis- These nuts are not placement of the bar;

but may be used if absolutely necessary, thought desirable. I may provide a series of hooks along the bar, or holes, for the attachment of the suspending ropes. When the hammock is used, the weight of the occupant causes a simultaneous movement of the bar and the slidable bolts.

I claim:

1. The combination with a hammock, of a bottom frame therefor constituting a spreader, a support, a series of bolts attached to said hammockand arranged to slide through openings in said s reader frame, and

means for securing said bo ts to said su port.

2. The combination with a hammoc of a frame constitutmg a s reader and composed ers of L-shaped cross section, a protecting covering carried by said bolts disposed in openings frame, ad ustable in said frame, means for attaching the ha1nmock to one end of said bolts and suspending means attached to the other end of sai bolts.

3. The combination with a hammock,

forms of the device based upon the same of a bottom frame therefor constituting a spreader, a rigid protecting frame carried by said bottom frame, and arranged to receive a cover, supporting meansffor said hammock movable relatively to said bottom frame, and means for adjusting the length of supporting means intermediate of the points 0 attachment.

JOHN J. MAXWELL. Witnessesf I AMos W. HART, JOHN L. FLETCHER. 

